


Let Me Remind You

by orphan_account



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, Short & Sweet, galolio, liogalo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-28 20:24:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21142670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A week after Galo and Lio saved the world, Lio finds it challenging to deal with his new existence without his Promare. But even more overwhelming than the aftereffects of losing his flame is the ever present heat in his chest, a result of his growing feelings for Galo. Lio attempts to explore his emotions while also trying to decipher whether Galo feels the same in the first place.





	Let Me Remind You

A chilly breeze swirled through the Burning Rescue team as they sat outside the usual pizzeria. Lio shuddered, still unaccustomed to how much colder the world was without his Promare. He hadn’t noticed until after resolving to rebuild the world with Galo. Shortly after, Lio’s priority was making sure his fellow ex-Burnish were adjusting well. Most of them were hospitalized after being used to power the warp drive, including Meis and Gueira. The toll on their bodies was too much, even after Lio and Galo burned out the Promare. Before helping Burnish Rescue clean up Promepolis, Lio interacted with many of the ex-Burnish, doing everything he could to make sure they were alright. However, losing their flames took a much more dramatic effect than Lio had anticipated. The most obvious was the sudden cold. Lio and the other ex-Burnish grew so accustomed to the constant heat, once the Promare fizzled out, the coldness of the world weighed down on them like an avalanche.

But the sudden cold was much more tolerable than the other unexpected aftereffect of losing their flames--the sudden silence. After hearing the voices of their fire for so long, those voices became one with their own. And to suddenly feel the quiet was oddly deafening in the worst way. Lio found himself unable to sleep most nights, so used to fading out of consciousness to the ever present fire within. While the voices and insatiable need to burn of the Promare drove the Burnish to destruction in the first place, Lio found they balanced him out, kept his own impulses in check by providing their own. Those voices gave him the power to harness his fiery anger into a means to protect his own. Lio and the other ex-Burnish were well aware they were better off without their destructive instincts, but Lio would also be lying to himself if he said he didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness with a weight that rivaled his self-imposed duty to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.

Even now, surrounded by his new friends, Lio felt the ringing silence, amplified by the frigidity of a chilly breeze.

“Varys! You’re taking too much pizza. Leave some for the rest of us!”

Galo’s loud voice pierced right through Lio’s thoughts, leaving him a little flustered. Ever since Galo saved his life, Lio noticed a different kind of warmth growing right at his center, and he wasn’t entirely sure what it meant. Actually, he knew exactly what it meant, but he wasn’t sure how to process it, exactly. He watched Galo shovel three slices of pizza into his mouth while simultaneously reaching for another slice, his arm briefly brushing Lio’s. Their skin only touched for a moment, but it was enough to send a jolting fire right up his spine and into his cheeks. He had to look away so Galo wouldn’t notice. Galo may be a little bit of a fool, but he noticed everything, even if he didn’t understand what he was looking at.

“There’s no way I’ve taken more pizza than you have,” Varys snapped, “at least finish the slices you have before grabbing more.”

“I can’t help it, Inferno Volcano Margherita Mega Max Pizza just gets the fire inside my soul going.” Galo aggressively shoved another slice into his mouth, adding even more tomato sauce to his cheeks. Lio failed to suppress a small laugh.

“Hey, what’s so funny?”

“You’ve managed to get more stuff on your face than Varys this time around, congrats.” Aina laughed.

Lio grabbed a napkin and began to wipe the sauce off Galo’s face. “You know, you could stand to be just a little less chaotic.”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t even get any on my shirt this time.”

It took all of Lio’s willpower to not look at where Galo was pointing, which was directly at his chest. If he looked, his cheeks would betray him once more.

“Because you’ve piled it all onto your face. You truly are a messy idiot,” Lio playfully smirked.

“At least I’m the world’s number one firefighting idiot!” Galo raised his arms to stretch as Lio was pulling his hand away from wiping his face. Their hands gently collided for a second, sending another fiery jolt up Lio’s spine. He quickly put his hand down and loudly smacked the table. Aina and Lucia raised an eyebrow at him, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of their mouths. Lio dared a glance at Galo and was surprised to find him blushing. Was he blushing from their hands touching, or was he embarrassed because Varys was laughing at his declaration? Lio decided on the latter.

“That’s debatable,” Remi interjected.

“Oh? You think you’re a bigger idiot than Galo?”

“Very funny, Lucia.” Remi sighed, “Lio, I don’t know how you were able to fight so well with Galo during your battle with Kray, but I have nothing but respect for you for dealing with him.”

“It wasn’t so bad. Galo may be an idiot, but he certainly puts his money where his mouth is,” Lio smirked at Galo again, who returned it with a giant smile and a soft punch to the arm. Another jolt up the spine and Lio quickly looked down, a little exasperated and annoyed at himself for being so affected by such small interactions.

“See, you guys can always count on me! Lio and I had to save the world, there was no way I was letting him or you guys down.” Galo threw another smile at Lio and then directed it at the rest of the group. At this point, Lio was starting to feel very overwhelmed, unsure of what to do with the sudden heat swelling at his center, causing him to sweat.

“Yeah, and we can always count on you taking all of the pizza.” Varys lunged across the table to snatch the slice Galo just grabbed. Galo quickly moved out of the way, but after a minute of the two of them fighting over one slice, they were soon trying to wrangle an entire pie out of each other’s hands. Aina and Lucia erupted into laughter and even Remi began to giggle. In this silly moment, Lio forgot about his new icy, silent existence.

And yet…

“I’m pretty tired. Sorry, but I think I’m going to start to head home. Thanks for the pizza, everyone.” Lio stood up, waved to the Burning Rescue crew, and began to walk away.

“Huh!? Lio, you barely ate. You can’t leave now.”

Lio couldn’t help but laugh. “Galo, I ate at least four slices.”

“Well, then I’ll walk with you! We are roommates now, after all.”

“Judging from the way you currently have a slice of pizza in a vice grip, it looks like you still have some pizza eat, somehow. I’ll see you later.”

“If you say so…”

\------------------------------------------------------------

Galo’s place was a thirty minute walk from the pizzeria. Normally, Lio would have rode with Galo on his bike. But while Galo was testing out some of Lucia’s new equipment, he accidentally smashed it into his bike. Lately, the pair have been hitching rides from the other members of Burning Rescue, but tonight Lio needed some time to himself to try and sort out his thoughts along with the growing heat in his chest.

He crossed his arms as another chilly breeze danced around him. He was given a Burning Rescue uniform to wear while he helped rebuild Promepolis even though he technically wasn’t part of the fire department. The jacket was enough to keep him warm, but he forgot it at Galo’s after being rushed out of the house because Galo insisted they get to work early enough to catch the sunrise together. It was the first time Galo had even proposed such an idea, never once mentioning the sunrise to Lio before. But Lio didn’t have a chance to think about it as Galo gently grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door.

Now, as he walked towards his temporary home on his own, Lio took a moment to gather his thoughts.

He thought about the rush of emotions that came over him in heavy waves every time Galo looked at him, or smiled at him, or said his name. In fact, Lio was slowly realizing that any time Galo did...anything, he found himself unable to stop the chest pains. The way Galo ran his fingers through his blue hair any time he thought hard about something, the way his eyes (which Lio had embarrassingly compared to aquamarine) shone with the sheen of his own gallant determination to help those in need, even the way he carelessly manages to get tomato sauce on his cheeks, all of these things and more made Lio’s chest ache with emotions he was too scared to name, and that didn’t include the jolt that traveled up his spine every time Galo touched him.

Now that he thought about it, after Galo saved his life, any form of physical connection visibly affected Lio, and filled him with warmth he was desperately missing. Galo took the fire Lio protected him with, and breathed his own life back into him in the only way he knew how because of what he witnessed in the cave, at least that’s what Lio kept telling himself. Plus, the way Galo brought him back was something Lio should have been very used to, it was routine. Lio himself saved plenty of Burnish from fading into ash in the same way. So why was this time different?

Lio knew why. It was the moments that took place after Galo parted his lips from Lio’s. The first thing Lio saw when he regained consciousness were Galo’s eyes, swimming with relief, glittering with that sheen Lio always noticed. He felt Galo’s hand gently cradling his head in place, the warmth of his body adding to his own fire, making his chest ache.

Actually, Lio realized any time Galo touched him, he was always so gentle. Whether he was playfully punching him in the shoulder or pulling him by his hand to watch the sunrise, Galo always treated him with tenderness, which is surprising considering Galo treated everything with such brash clumsiness one would think he never put a single thought into his actions. But Lio was starting to realize any time Galo interacted with him, it was deliberate and delicate.

_Does Galo also…_

No, there was no way. Although Lio wasn’t a Burnish anymore, there was no way Galo could ever feel anything except comradery between the two of them. After all, Lio’s soul filled with guilt every time he looked at the scars on Galo’s arm. Not to mention, Galo lost his parents when Kray’s Promare awakened. Lio certainly wasn’t the one to hurt Galo in any of those instances, but people like him did, and that was enough to convince himself Galo would never feel more than friendship towards him.

Lio raced through so many thoughts and feelings, and yet he still felt the deafening silence ringing in his ears. He picked up his pace, hoping with misguided optimism that if he walked fast enough, the voices would return and drown out his feelings.

“Lio, wait up!”

Lio stopped in his tracks and turned around to find Galo sprinting full speed towards him, waving his jacket in the air like a small child flying a kite for the first time. He didn’t slow down soon enough and stumbled, arms flailing. He would have fallen had Lio not been there to catch him, his hands gripped around one of Galo’s arms. Lio felt Galo’s muscles tense up underneath his fingers and he clenched his jaw with all the strength he could muster, anything to will himself to not let yet another fiery jolt overwhelm him. He helped Galo up, and their faces were briefly mere inches apart. Lio could have sworn he saw rosy cheeks.

“Thanks for helping me up, almost bulldozed you there.” Galo took his jacket and draped it over Lio. “I realized you forgot your jacket today and thought you’d be cold walking home. You’re still getting used to the temperature change, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Thank you. You didn’t have to run all the way over here, I was almost at your place.” Lio snaked his arms through the sleeves, which still ran past his hands. He looked twice as small in Galo’s jacket, but it kept him warmer than his own ever did. He wondered if it was because it was larger or because of something else entirely.

“It’s pretty breezy out, so I figured you’d be extra cold. Also, it’s not just my place anymore, it’s our place! We’re roomies now.”

“If you truly believe that, then you won’t mind me commenting on your messy habits. Really Galo, I promise a vacuum only sounds scary.” Lio gave Galo a warm smile.

“Oh come on, I’m not that bad. Nothing’s died in the place yet.”

“I think the leftovers in the fridge beg to differ.” A particularly strong wind billowed around the two of them, causing Lio to cross his arms and violently shudder.

Galo shot Lio a concerned look. “Do you miss them? You know, your flames?”

“Sometimes,” Lio gazed at the setting sun dipping below the remaining tattered buildings. “I certainly miss the warmth, and the quiet is too much at times, but now that my people and I have our freedom and a chance to survive, it’s worth losing.”

“Even if you and your brethren were still Burnish, Burning Rescue and I would still have accepted you. We would have stopped at nothing to make sure you were protected. You know that, right Lio?”

Galo looked into Lio’s eyes with such intensity that Lio had trouble deciding between looking away and staring right back. He felt his cheeks begin to burn and directed his eyes towards the sunset, picking up his pace at the same time.

“I guess...I do now. Thank you, Galo. That means a lot.”

“Of course! We’re best pals now.” Galo softly placed his hand on Lio’s shoulder, forcing Lio to hold his breath. Galo followed his gaze and stared at the sunset with him.

“This sunset is just as impressive as the sunrise this morning. Don’t you think, Lio?”

“Yeah, it’s—” Before Lio could finish his sentence, a rock smacked him right in his face. He instinctively put his hand on his cheek and stared at the rock that struck him. He noticed a small speck of crimson on it and looked at his hand. He was bleeding.

“Hey, old man! What the hell was that for!? Do you have a problem!? Apologize to him, now!” Galo was absolutely fuming, stomping over to a small, elderly man who was sizing Galo up.

The old man angrily pointed at Lio. “The Burnish should have been wiped out. It shouldn’t be here, in a uniform nonetheless. How disgusting.”

“What are you talking about? He has just as much of a right to be here as you do! He saved the world, he saved you!”

“I have a hard time believing that,” the old man scoffed, “what I do believe is that thing went on a rampage, destroying everything in its path with a complete disregard for the people below. As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough to lock it up. That’s no regular human.” The old man glared at Lio and spat on the ground.

Galo’s face was barely five centimeters from the old man’s. “You don’t know anything about him! You have no idea what was going on, what he was feeling!”

“...Galo.”

“Lio is one of the most compassionate people I know, and I won’t let some geezer say otherwise!”

“Galo...stop.”

“He saved the freaking world so you could--”

“GALO!”

Lio could feel Galo’s gaze shift over to him. He wasn’t sure when his hands balled into fists, but it didn’t matter. Lio was looking at the ground, shaking with anger. A few drops of blood slipped down his cheek and splattered onto the pavement. He wasn’t angry at Galo or even the old man, he was angry at himself. And he couldn’t bear another moment of listening to those words of praise fly so easily out of Galo’s mouth.

“Lio...I…”

“It’s fine, Galo. Let’s just go home.”

“Right…”

Galo jogged quickly to catch up to Lio, who already started to walk away, leaving the old man with arms crossed and rolling eyes behind.

“Lio, your cheek, let me help.” Galo reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a glove. He began to apply pressure to Lio’s cut, making sure not to press too hard. “Sorry, my first aid kit is usually on my bike.”

Lio grabbed Galo’s wrist and gently moved it away from his face.

“Galo, it’s alright. Please, let’s get home. It’s getting dark.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lio pulled the towel off his head and draped it over the couch. He felt much better after a hot shower. The pitter-patter of the steaming water was enough to briefly calm the silence and warm his body properly. Although, it wasn’t entirely necessary since Galo kept his small studio apartment warm enough so Lio could comfortably wear whatever he wanted, even a simple tank top and shorts. But Lio could tell it was too warm for Galo. All Galo wore around the house was a pair of boxers. Lio didn’t mind, though. He watched Galo, who was sitting criss cross on his bed, laughing at whatever nonsense he was watching on the small television sitting on his dresser. His muscles moved with his laughter while his large chest surged up and down. Lio decided to grab a glass of water.

“Lio! Come watch this with me. The main character is such a moron.”

“Sounds like someone I know,” Lio took a sip of water, “but I think I’ll turn in for the night. Don’t worry about the noise of the TV, I’ll fall asleep just fine.”

Galo turned to stare at him for a moment. “Lio, are you sure you’re alright after encountering that old geezer? You don’t believe anything he said--”

“I’m fine, Galo.” Lio rubbed the small scab on his cheek with his thumb. It wasn’t going to scar. “Besides, everything he said was true. I did go on a mindless rampage, putting innocent people at risk, and that makes me a hypocrite.”

“But you were in pain! Your friends and comrades were kidnapped, it was completely understandable. And I was there to snap you out of it, anyway. No harm done!”

“Galo, my flames almost scorched you alive.”

“But they didn’t! Besides, I told you the fire wasn’t hot at all. No flame is too hot if it’s you, Lio.” After a second or two, Galo seemed to realize the weight of the words that spilled out of his mouth and quickly shut off the TV. He sat at the edge of his bed, nervously running his fingers through his hair.

Galo’s words rang in Lio’s ears like gongs, completely shutting out any trace of silence. Lio remembered all too well how Galo didn’t see him as a rampaging monster during that destructive moment of vulnerability, but as a friend who needed his help. Galo leaped right into the heart of his inferno, risking his life to bring Lio back to earth. Lio felt a smile creeping, and soon he was giggling uncontrollably.

_How obvious, maybe I’m the real fool._

Galo’s eyes widened, his hands fidgeting with sheets on his bed. “Uh, Lio? What’s so funny?”

Lio gave Galo another warm smile, not even bothering to hide the color rising in his cheeks. Galo began to fidget even more in response, quickly looking down at his knees, his left one nervously bobbing up and down.

“Galo, do you remember when you brought me back?” Lio put his glass of water down and began to slowly advance towards Galo. He took his time, gracefully placing one foot in front of the other. He needed to give Galo a minute or two.

“Uh, yeah. I saved you with the very flame you saved me with. I had to return the favor, and...I couldn’t lose you. I refused to lose you.” Galo looked up at Lio and quickly moved his gaze to the side. Lio did his best to suppress his giggles, still gliding towards Galo with the mischievous fervor of a fairy.

“And how did you feel at that moment?”

Galo’s hands were gripping the sheets with such force Lio was sure he was going to rip them in half. “Erm, relieved? Yeah, relieved. Watching you open your eyes was one of the best moments of my life.” Galo tried to stifle a gasp, but it was already too late.

Lio was only a couple feet away from him. Watching Galo anxiously gather and realize his feelings fueled the fire growing in Lio’s chest, propelling him even closer. “Did you feel anything else?”

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Galo’s face, pausing briefly at his chin before falling onto his jittery knee. “W-well, I can’t really remember…” Galo was absolutely flustered, rosy cheeks reaching all the way up to those aquamarine eyes. There was no denying the reason for the pink in his face this time. Lio couldn’t bear to take his time any longer.

Lio was right in front of Galo now, standing right between his legs. Galo had no choice but to look up, his eyes at the mercy of Lio’s. Lio found it a little strange to be looking down at Galo for once, but he very much liked it, especially since Galo’s entire face was a hilarious shade of red. Lio reached for his face and cupped it into his elegant hands, his thumb wiping all of the remaining sweat away.

“Let me remind you, then.”

“Lio…”

Lio leaned forward and locked his lips with Galo’s, which were surprisingly soft, he thought. After a moment, he felt Galo kiss him back, his large hands finding themselves at Lio’s small waist, pulling him a little closer. Suddenly, Lio felt his chest ignite once more, heat engulfing his entire body. He should have been used to it, but this fire provided an intensity his Promare could never offer. They tenderly kissed for a couple of moments, breathing each other in for the first time. Well, the second time, technically. But this wasn’t a life or death situation, this was a moment of sweet vulnerability Lio didn’t know he was ready for.

They pulled away at the same time, gasping for air, both breathing heavily in sync. Lio rested his hands on Galo’s shoulders, his fingers begging to trace the outlines of his collarbones. Galo firmly kept his hands on Lio’s waist with a statuesque uncertainty that Lio was determined to loosen up.

“So, Galo...how do you feel?”

“Lio, I had no idea...had I known you--”

“Answer the question. How do you feel? Honestly.”

Lio felt Galo’s grip tighten, but it somehow remained ever so gentle.

“I feel...relieved, again. But a different kind of relieved. I also feel warm. My soul is...burning? I was so sure you didn’t feel the same way I did. I felt so stupid asking you to watch the sunrise with me, but I thought you’d appreciate it because, you know, it’s a big ball of fire and I could tell you were missing your flames. And...I wanted to witness something beautiful with you.”  
Lio couldn’t stop his smile from spreading from ear to ear, his heart swelling with happiness at the tender sincerity of Galo’s words.

“It would appear that we’re both idiots, Galo Thymos.” Lio wrapped his arms around Galo’s neck and carefully pressed their foreheads together. The soft touch made the both of them shudder.

“Lio...Fotia...I…”

“You finally memorized my name.” They both breathed out a small laugh. Lio’s cheeks were beginning to burn from smiling for so long, but he didn’t care. Lio would burn his entire soul to ash if it meant he could stay an extra second like this.

“Can you...can you remind me, again?” Galo pulled Lio even closer to him, the uncertainty trickling away from his fingertips.

Lio smirked. “Do you think because you were the pilot that means you're calling the shots? Tell me what you want me to remind you of, then.”

They locked eyes for an entire lifetime. Galo’s pair glossed over with the sparkling sheen Lio adored so much. His chest was screaming for Galo to answer.

“Remind me of our first kiss. And..the second kiss, which just happened. Let’s have a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and--”

“Okay, okay. Only to stop your silly ramblings.”

Lio leaned down once more, but this time Galo met him halfway, although there wasn’t much room in between them in the first place. This kiss was deeper, stronger. Lio couldn’t stop himself from tightly holding onto Galo’s neck. Galo gently pulled Lio onto the bed with him, positioning Lio right on his lap. Lio felt Galo’s hands move to rub his back, his big hands dancing up and down Lio’s spine with delicate restraint. Lio kissed him even harder in response.

They parted to catch their breath once more, their breathing even heavier.

“Lio...can we..again…”

“Yes…”

They kissed for a fourth time, and a fifth, and again and again until Lio lost count. He forgot about his icy existence as their souls burned in sync, as they always have. Lio decided the quiet wasn’t so bad, and it was no match for the heat in his heart, roaring louder than the ringing in his ears.


End file.
